Reviews

Soooo good ! Their chemistry is lit ?

usually don't go around writing reviews, but man, this movie? It's a solid 10 on my scale (and trust me, I'm a tough critic - nothing ever gets a perfect 10 in my book except for this).

So, I walked into the theater with zero expectations, right? But this film turned out to be an absolute riot, way beyond what I thought it would be. I lost count of how many times I busted out laughing, and it wasn't just me - the whole theater was in stitches. The story threw some curveballs that I never saw coming, and the creativity in those unexpected moments? Genius.

Let's talk about the main cast, Kang Ha-neul and Jung So-min - they killed it. The chemistry between them? Off the charts. And the other folks in the cast weren't slouching either - everyone held their own. Big shoutout to the director and the writers, too - they nailed it.

If you're in the mood for a good laugh and a dash of romance, seriously, check this one out. And get this - I'm usually all about horror, but even with that background, I can vouch for this film. It's like a universal crowd-pleaser, breaking through genres and giving you the perfect mix of humor and romance. Don't miss it!

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The story of the whole world in one little film

What a pity that this film has not been acclaimed enough. It is in fact quite good.

On the surface, it is the story of two officers and a common soldier who barely manage to escape a slaughter of a battle and find shelter from a blizzard in an abandoned inn. There, they have to survive the cruel conditions, the Manchus and, above all, each other.

This simple plot is used to show us a couple of things about the human condition: will a common goal (survive and return to Joseon) and a common enemy on their tracks be enough for those three to overcome deep grudges and bad blood caused by class differences and injustice, both actual and perceived?
The derelict inn, itself the theatre of a previous violent act, becomes a petri dish where we can isolate and observe humanity struggling to cope in an extreme, inhospitable situation while handling its own boiling emotions.

And it is shown masterfully. The current story is bleak, dark, violent and bloody, almost cartoonishly so. The three characters' backstory is shown in short flashbacks full of intense colour, almost garish in comparison. The music and sound design in general enhances the experience beautifully.

I saw no flaws. This is one well-done film.

Just don't expect a nice, uplifting or sombre costume epic with heroism. It is grim, dirty and violent.

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A parte qualche montaggio fatto un po' così e una cosa importante lasciata totalmente al caso, il film mi è piaciuto tanto. Si vede che è vecchio e forse non è invecchiato benissimo ma la storia che c'è dietro è di spessore e difficilmente si riuscirebbe a creare un così buon prodotto in due orette.
La protagonista è inizialmente totalmente odiosa e forse anche psicopatica ma nel corso dell'opera cresce e matura fino a farmi commuovere in una specifica scena. ML nulla da dire. Mi è piaciuto anche tanto come sono riusciti a far sviluppare i compagni del protagonista, ovviamente non tutti perchè non ce n'era il tempo, ma quelli a lui più vicini. Il suo passato, il suo attaccamento al lavoro, il suo senso di vuoto.. tutto davvero ben fatto.
Oltre a ciò questo film nasconde tante piccole lezioni molto belle e importanti, nonostante tutto. Poteva sicuramente essere fatto meglio, ma il risultato è che vorrei rivederlo subito: l'ho visto ieri sera XD

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Sinceramente mi aspettavo decisamente molto di più da questo film. Mi aspettavo di ridere, di piangere e anche di sorridere un po' alla fine e quest'ultima è l'unica cosa che accade. Quello che mi ha dato maggiormente fastidio sono state alcune battute e scene palesemente trash in cui vediamo il medico e/o i genitori dei protagonisti e anche il modo frettoloso a mio parere di ricucire il tutto. All'inizio viene dato ampio spazio ai disordini e alle difficoltà della coppia rendendo la questione assai importante. Il modo in cui viene cercata di risolvere risulta ben poco credibile e distorta. Avrei preferito un maggior equilibrio del film invece in questa maniera è troppo sbilanciato, risultando sul finale carino ma un poco insulso.

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In honor of Lee Sun Kyun... one of the reasons I fell in love with dramas.

I've recently taken a break from dramas and writing reviews while mourning the loss of someone very close to me but it was learning about the tragic passing of Lee Sun Kyun that kept me up tonight and ironically led to me staying up to watch "Sleep". I have been a fan of Lee Sun Kyun since "Coffee Prince", and missed all of the recent scandal and drama while caught up in my own personal sadness, so this has been a truly shocking evening. Maybe that's why this simple yet disturbing psychological horror story resonated with me. How your mind can play tricks on you when you're in a heightened emotional state is always a concept that fascinates me and adding a sleep disorder to that makes it even more interesting. This drama walks the fine line between familiar horror tropes that just work well with direction and visuals that are fresh and memorable. It was also the perfect film for the mood I'm currently in... something sadly disturbing and haunting.

Lee Sun Kyun has portrayed so many roles that I have loved and this one isn't necessarily a standout among them, but he is definitely in his element. He plays Hyun Soo, an aspiring Actor who lives with his super supportive and very pregnant wife Soo Jin played by Jung Yu Mi. Their relationship seems pretty ideal until Hyun Soo's disturbing actions while asleep put major stress on their lives. I love that the way things slowly evolve is so realistic and that's what made it so disturbing to me. Yes, there are some classic horror moments including possibly animals and kids being hurt, but that's pretty much par for the course in a horror movie as far as I'm concerned, although this movie never goes overboard with over-the-top blood or comes close to anything truly gorey. In true psychological horror fashion, it's more about setting up a creepy atmosphere with many of the horrors implied and without being so abstract that you lose the actual story.

As for the story, I thought it was well told, with an ending that will probably leave a lot of room for debate. I thought I knew exactly how the story would go, but the start of Act 3 caught me off guard. I wouldn't call it a mindblowing ending by any means but it was an interesting ride and for me a satisfying conclusion... at least my interpretation of what happened.

Would I watch this again? Yes. I am a fan of horror and this is one that was entertaining to watch with a great cast and great direction even if it's not necessarily groundbreaking. Other Lee Sun Kyun fans may not be in the mood to see him playing someone going through so much mental agony just yet, which I understand too.

Overall, I am glad I stayed up to watch "Sleep". It reminded me of classic horror movies like "Rosemary's Baby", with quite a few images that will keep me up a little longer. People looking for a horror film with epic twists, major jumpscares, or diabolical villains will likely be disappointed. I liked the concept of one's mind possibly being the real horror... or not. Or the horror of not having control over your actions, which legit freaks me out. Could there have been improvements? Sure. Could some parts of the story use some more depth and explanation? Sure. But as is, I think this movie still delivers.

***Thank you Lee Sun Kyun, for bringing such ease of talent to so many great roles. You will be missed. Sleep in Peace : (

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COMEDY?? I CRIED A RIVER BROOOO

FOR ME ITS SAD ENDING, WHY? THEY DID NOT END UP TOGETHER AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN SAID "I LOVE YOU" FACE TO FACE. I FEEL PITY FOR THE OTHER GUY BUT F HIM, HE'S THE REASON WHY THE MALE LEAD GOT HURT AND THEIR MARRIAGE WAS FORCED. ALSO THE LITTLE GIRL DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE, HIS ALMOST HUSBAND IS SH!T. I JUST REALLY FEEL SAD BUT THE MOVIE IS BEAUTIFUL. I JUST REALLY HOPE THEY END UP TOGETHER AND HAVE KIDS AND THE GISAENGS WILL FIND THEIR PERFECT PARTNER AND ALSO LIVE HAPPILY AND THOSE ARISTOCATS WILL BE REPLACED WITH BETTER PEOPLE, THE MOVIE IS REALLY OUTSTANDING I LITERALLY CRIED, LAUGH, AND GOT ANGRY. I LOVE ALL OF THEM, VERY VERY GOOD ACTING.

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Decent time killer and nothing more.

I almost never watch movies and to my knowledge never a Japanese one plus I ended up only half watching cuz of how boring it was, so bear with me in my ramblings.
It was 1am and wanted to watch either an episode of K-Drama or a short movie, so I chose the movie (for other reasons too like Asano Atsuko), was it good? No lol. It wasn't the worst thing I've seen before it just didn't have a clear plot, too many leads and to quick of an introduction for a 100 minute film (like the 2 male romance interests seconds into the movie ALREADY get the ball moving then practically disappear like what) even though they seemed to only focus on one for the last 50 minutes. Instead of focusing on all 4 sisters and somewhat fleshing out their backstory (not really) it would have been much better if they focused on one sister for the entire film.
I can't really comment on the technical side of the movie because 1) I hardly watch movies and 2) the few movies I've seen from the era are James Bond blockbusters so its unfair, though I will say lighting is about average for 80s jdrama and same for the cinematography, sound had some oddities (Blu-ray seems to have been mastered with an audio delay lol) but not bad.
For the life of me I couldn't figure out what decade this took place in, I'd like to say the 70s-80s but idk cuz of the dated fashion seen and everything else screamed 60s. Also couldn't figure out what on earth the whole meaning of this movie was but I guess that's just because I'm trying to grade it like it's Interstellar.
Overall it's an ok time killer, if you know Japanese then just throw it on in the background while doing something else, it's ironically a more interesting watch that way.

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Un jour, je marierai un ange

Kore-Eda fait un peu partie de la famille. C'est l'oncle qui nous rend visite chaque année, pour le festival de Cannes, le temps de recevoir son prix, faire visiter un bout de "La France" à ces acteurs émerveiller et puis s'en va. Comme tout oncle en visite éclaire, il nous rabâche toujours la même vielle histoire. La famille, éclatée, décomposée, recomposée, monoparentale… Celle qui est au banc d'une société japonaise fantasmée par les occidentaux. Mais il faut l'avouer, personne ne sait aussi bien le faire que lui. Ce cercle familial, micro société remplie de la même violence que la grande. Miroir du monde ou la tolérance n'est que de façade. Le microcosme familial comme les communautés se referment sur elles-mêmes, regarde leur nombril et rentre toujours en résonance avec cette société insulaire et repliée sur le passé et sur eux-mêmes.

Vous ne serez pas surpris par l'histoire de Kaibutsu, mais par sa construction qui mérite amplement le prix du scénario, Cannes n'ayant pas de prix de la mise en scène. La construction est faite au couteau et vous tiendra en haleine les 2h du film. En adoptant le point de vue des trois personnages principaux à la suite, mais surtout en respectant la chronologie des évènements qui permet de reconstruire toute l'histoire. On mène l'enquête de manière chirurgicale, et tout se dévoile dans les dernières minutes. Kore-eda dénonce une fois de plus les travers de son pays, la difficile place des minorités et de la différence au sein d'une société ultra-conformiste. Mais clairement, l'occident de 2023 ne peut blâmer un Japon déjà très occidentalisé. Le monde régresse partout. Les minorités, les femmes, la différence sont attaqués de manières insidieuses et le mot tolérance a disparu des discours politiques. Le réalisateur a encore du travail. Kaibutsu-Monster-L'innocense ne sera pas son dernier film, qui mettra en lumière les mères célibataires, les travailleurs de l'humain ou la misère de son pays, mais la mise en scène et l'interprétation sont ici magnifiées. La Palme d'or ou celle du meilleur acteur ou actrice aurait pu être décerné à ce film. Et si la musique en avait une, le regretté Sakamoto Ryuichi en aurait bénéficié. Celle-ci accompagne discrètement, mais magistralement, les émotions distillées par Endo Sakura, Nagayama Eita et les deux jeunes prodiges que sont Kurokawa Souya et Hiiragi Hinata. En mère de famille combative, Endo Sakura sublime son jeu, alors qu'une empathie particulière accompagne ce professeur désenchanté interprèté par l'excellent Nagayama. Mais personne n'est parfait. La mise en scène permet de montrer les ravage de la rumeur, la facilité d'acceptation de celle-ci par des personnages pourtant présentés comme parfaits. La part sombre de chacun est dévoilé, nous remettant tous en question.

Et pourtant, les décors sont bucoliques ou urbains, mais empreints de nostalgie, voir faisant référence au paradis perdu, ce qui permet de parler encore plus à notre petit cœur innocent d'enfant. Les effets notamment de météo sont impressionnants de réalisme pour un film d'auteur. Mais clairement, c'est grâce au jeu de ses acteurs qu'on plonge dans un réalisme dérangeant, mais fascinant. Il montre toute la pourriture d'un système gangrené par le "pas de vague", "on n'y peut rien" et la culture de l'excuse… dommage que les personnages de la trop discrète Takahata Mitsuki ou du "fumier" Nakamura Shido ne sont pas aussi exploités que l'excellente directrice Tanaka Yuuko. Elle incarne tellement cette culture de l'institution avant l'humain que le Japon met en avant et que Endo Sakura tente de combattre. C'est certainement ce que les occidentaux retiendront le plus de ce film et c'est dommage, car la violence du silence, de l'intolérance, du mépris ou de l'indifférence n'est pas culturelle. Elle est mondiale. C'est le combat des castes, et ce film, empreint de philosophie sur l'innocence de l'enfance, la vie, la mort, vous arrachera probablement le cœur avec sa fin ouverte. Moi, il me fait croire dans la réincarnation. Et si celle-ci existe, dans tous les cas, c'est en Kore-Eda que je veux revenir sur terre, car ma vie rêvée, c'est celle de diriger tous ces fabuleux acteurs, pour faire des films aussi universels et humains.

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another crack comedy in the Ossan's Love franchise

Overall: there is a lot of ridiculousness with the plot and characters but it's obviously intentional and I did laugh several times during the movie which is about 2 hours long (make sure to watch the very cute post credits scene at the end). Aired officially internationally on GagaOOLala in December 2023 when the platform picked up almost the entire Ossan's Love franchise https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/2118/ossans-love-the-movie Note: the movie should be watched directly after the 2018 series, the Love in the Sky takes place in an alternate universe/totally different plot and is not a continuation of the 2018 series

Content Warnings: past death, threatened violence, kidnapping/held against will

What I Liked
- how the movie started with that chase/action scene and then another action scene towards the end
- fun comedy moments
- the actors made me cry towards the end with talking about marriage equality, the challenge of having a family and their love for each other

Room For Improvement
- how Maki wouldn't let him explain
- could have used a few more sweet moments before the conflict started
- how a character asked a certain person for permission to marry before asking her

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Get on board the zombie express.

Train to Busan can best be described as a Korean clash between Snowpiercer and World War Z. The Korean thriller's zombies and special effects are world-class, but the emotional bits can get a little cheesy.

I can really appreciate when the entire plot of a genre film can be summed up in one sentence. A simple and effective concept that arouses curiosity: Snakes on an airplane. A tornado with sharks. Okay... you understand that it might not be the world's best movie every time, but you know exactly what you're getting, and if you go along with those premises, you're in for a while of good entertainment.

So what happens when you put a zombie on an express train? It doesn't take long, of course, for things to go off the rails. Bloody chaos as more and more people are bitten, the survivors' fight for life and death. Being trapped with the living dead in tight spaces is never a good idea if you ever find yourself in that position. It's claustrophobic, and really rough.

The conflicts that arise among the group of people, the fear that breeds mistrust and selfish thinking, are not new. Countless Stephen King movies have explored this with what happens to ordinary people in terrifying situations. It becomes more exciting, however, when zombies have to face the danger, as when a small group of passengers have to sneak past several carriages without becoming someone's dinner.

We need to talk about the zombies! Someone may have been inspired by World War Z and its hordes of the undead, and created equally insane creatures that you don't want to share a carriage with. They are really fast, and all rabid. They're not necessarily the smartest, but good nasty designed with their sickly faces and jerky movements. Arms and legs are twisted in unnatural directions - It's hard to tell where the intense effort of the actors ends and special effects take over.

The story in Train to Busan is bigger than what takes place on the train. The news tells about something that has happened around the country. "Zombie" is trending as a keyword. It looks and feels like a big, lavish disaster thriller, which has chosen to zoom in on a few really unlucky individuals. But if it sounds loaded and gloomy, then... Well. There's a kind of cheesy B-movie humor that makes us laugh, too. The occasional goofy zombie or cocky alpha male opens up fun elements and the audience seems to love it.

At worst, the pieces are meant to be emotional, where you touch so the strings bleed. The relationship between a guilt-ridden father and his neglected daughter takes up a lot of space, and sometimes becomes unnecessarily sentimental. The film is also longer than it needed to be, with several dead transport stretches. And just when you think we're at the end, it continues with a finale that should have been better - Or in any case completely scrapped.

Watch it with zombie-crazy friends and you have a wonderful and terrifying 2-hour journey ahead of you.

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I wanted to do good

Oh my, this was a long movie that makes me want to light up a candle and pray for the protagonists - man and woman living together. One of them actually does light a candle while working, maybe even praying, and the other said something that describes the movie for me. He said: I wanted to do good.

The society has an institution of marriage for a reason, for protection and support (the common good) of both husband and wife, and their children. The couple in this movie are just living together, they are friends, partners and lovers, they live in a consensual union where everything is good until it isn't. Paradoxically, the problems seem to start when the woman Jay gets pregnant . Would marriage make it easier for them? I argue that it would. I would say that this movie is an honest depictions of psychological and practical challenges of unexpected pregnancy not only for woman but also for man. The story takes an unexpected turn and the end is both negative and positive. Even if i would want to spoil the movie, i wouldn't be able to decide if the ending is good or bad. It is, just like in real life, the reality of so many relationships. Don't watch this movie for entertainment, watch it if you want to study relationships.

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What Girl Would Not Want the Choice?

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2016 Japanese romance movie 1 hour and 32 minutes in length. There was a short, 2 episode , mini series released in 2015 which was meant to promote the film. It is based in a popular Shoji manga series, “Kurosaki-kun no Iinari ni Nante Naranai”.

First I provide a Unique Synopsis then review

Synopsis

Yu Akabane (Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu; portrayed by: Nana Komatsu) changes not only schools but her entire demeanor after being bullied. Things do not exactly go smoothly at her new school as she immediately gets on the bad side of Haruto Kurosaki (Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa; portrayed by: Kento Nakajima) when an accident leads her to cut some of his hair. Known as the black night, his punishment for Yu is to make her be he indentured servant. Annoyed with his constant arrogance and demands, Yu knicknames him black demon. Haruto’s best friend, Takumi Shirakawa, (Voiced by: Kensho Ono; portrayed by: Yudai Chiba) is called the white knight because of his fairer looks and kind demeanor. Once he realizes Haruto is actually interested in Yu, he decides to compete for her favor. The boys have always competed with each other in things. What starts as a game becomes a more serious rivalry when both boys determine they have feelings for Yu.

Review

If you did not watch the 2 episode series, the movie seems to start abruptly and you may wonder if you skipped some scenes. While it is not necessary to watch the 2 episodes prior to the movie, it does explain where it picks up. But if you stick with the movie it does return to what happened before and you catch up.

Overall I enjoyed the movie and my main criticism is the abrupt way it begins. Even with the two episodes out, they could have duplicated the story from the 2 episodes in the opening of the movie.

It ended happy and well.

Spoilers

As with a lot of Japanese shows, it is much “sexier” than most Korean and Chinese shows. It was not over done though. There were some intense kissing scenes but nothing beyond that. Just enough shown in the shower scene to illustrate the physical attraction without showing too much and leaving you wondering if you are watching porn. I liked that about this one.

I appreciated that they valued their friendships enough to give up on their love if it meant ending a long term friendship. But I liked that the friends were not so selfish that they expected their friends to give up just because they too liked the person.

#TheBlackDevilandtheWhitePrince

#MikakoKamatsu

#NanaKomatsu

#KatoIshikawa

#KentoNakajima

#KenshoOno

#YudaiChiba

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It's really good, especially for the hopeless romantic like me. And it reminded me of Our Times (2015), also a good romance movie with a good plot and great acting.

Even though there's no kissing scene in the movie, the actors really portrayed youthful, nostalgic first love feelings. And the cinematography was great. And I really like how they act, it was so natural, especially the supporting roles.

All in all, it was a great film and recommendable for others to watch where it leaves you that overwhelming feelings at the end. And you still craved for it to continue.

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a brutally honest review lol

It's a cute movie with many fluff scenes and omg they even include the typical ML teaches the FL how to play basketball trope. (i be eating these scenes up every time despite cringing heavily). I can't lie, I sighed when she tried shooting a hoop. How does someone not know how to shoot a basketball properly? It's like true beauty all over again. The only issue I have is the FL. The FL pisses me off so much, SHE HAD ME SCREAMING AT MY SCREEN. LIKE GIRL SPEAK YOUR MIND, STAND UP AND STOP RUNNING AWAY. She's the type of character that makes you pause your movie just to imagine yourself in her shoes and think about how YOU would approach her situation. I literally groaned every time she'd make that nervous face and be unable to utter words, especially to the ML. How tf are you gon be in the broadcasting club, yet you can't speak a little more confidently? JUST TALK PLEASE AND ENOUGH WITH THE PETITE, SHY, Y/N ACT ITS MAKING ME WANT TO RIP MY HAIR OUT. But that's a part of her character so I can't be too mad, even though I am. It's a love-hate relationship, at times I was rooting for her.. so... anyway. The ending is wholesome, she finally grew a backbone for the last 2 minutes of this 1.5-hour movie and he finally cleared everything up with the whole 'love triangle' thing, but what happened to the FL's announcement school? The ML's dream of playing soccer again? Look at all these unanswered questions. Overall, its a super fluffy movie you have to turn your mind off to watch. It has an interesting premise, the characters are likable for the most part.

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